TangoLab
Perché
un nuovo laboratorio?
Tecnology Assistance to NGO Laboratory
Roberto Polillo
DISCO, 16 June 2009
Lab site: www.labtango.wordpress.com
TangoLab: Mission
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Identify, design & prototype innovative, effective, low-cost and
sustainable ICT solutions, for no-profit orgs
and their “customers” – and promote their use
Almost half the world — over three billion
people — live on less than $2.50 a day
?
http://www.globalissues.org
“Now”, change we can!
In very recent years, entrance barriers to ICT have
dramatically lowered
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Low-cost internet connectivity
Low-cost mobile devices
VOIP
Open source software
Free high-quality content management systems
“Free” cloud computing
“Free” social computing
Integration and mashup technologies
Usability research
The Third Sector galaxy
THIRD SECTOR
NO-PROFIT
In Italy, in 2001:
- 220.000 orgs
- 4 ml people
(3.2 ml volunteers)
ASSOCIATIONS
FOUNDATIONS
ONLUS
IMPRESE
VOLUNTEER
ORGANIZATIONS
NGO
SOCIAL
GOALS
No-profit & ICT
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No-profit orgs (and volunteers orgs above all) often small and unstructured
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ICT often rudimentary:
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No money
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No know-how
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Focus on main organization activities
But ICT might produce a powerful “leverage effect”:
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Web site: promotion, fund rising, volunteers recruitment, communications and
internal organization support
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Domain specific applications
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Communications, communications, communications
Problems:
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Technology: low-tech, low-bandwith, costs, technical support
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Context: logistics, education, sustainability
Sustainable?
TangoLab: Philosophy
No software development, but identification of free sw
components, integration and mashup
 No local ICT infrastructures, but use of cloud computing
 The net as the primary enabler
 Simple, usable, low cost and sustainable solutions
 Requirements and field testing through partnerships
 All output freely reusable
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TangoLab: Activities
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“Container” for student thesis (different levels and
degrees)
Cohoperation with no-profit orgs for user
requirements and field testing
Partnership with Informatici senza frontiere
http://www.informaticisenzafrontiere.org/
(also for shared systems)
Promotion and circulation of experiences, know-how
and software
Current projects
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Site & social network for Cooperativa Sociale Lambro di Monza
http://www.cooperativalambro.it/ (1 thesi s TTC, finished)
Observatory on quality and best-practices of Italian NGO web sites
(2 thesis TTC)
“Global Health” project for Children Hospital in Managua
(with Medicine and Sociology Faculties, and UNAN Managua University)
Experiences with“viral marketing” of no-profit events
(1 thesis TTC: Homeless World Cup 2009 http://www.homelessworldcup.org/groups ;
1 thesis TTC: Promotion Chia.Ve project, with Municipalities of Chiasso,
Vergiate and Sesto Calende)
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TangoNet Project: ICT for no-profit Social Portal
(started with1 thesis LM Inf, cohoperation with ISF)
http://tangonet.ning.com/
TangoNet
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“Social portal” for ICT for no-profit in Italy
Social portal = social network + repository +
aggregator + portal
Open and free
Developed through partnerships
Piattaform: ning
Cohoperation proposals will be
“estremely” welcome!
“Meta-lab” concept (?)
Thank you